Almost my first act on December 1st is to put my Christmas wreath on the front door. I have a special hook permanently in the door and, indeed, for the past ten years have had a wreath which alters according to the season on the door. I like having a wreath there. I like the symbolism. When I was a child, I don’t remember ever … Continue reading The Wreath on the Door: Christmas Hygge through Christmas Hiraeth Day 1
Wales crashed out of the World Cup last night. I’m really sorry for that, and even sorrier that it had to be England that crashed them out. Thanks to a Great Grandmother, I am one eighth Welsh, and immensely proud of a small little nation that has such a sense of self-worth and history that it can stand against the bigger nations of the world … Continue reading Christmas Hygge Through Christmas Hiraeth
Way, way back when I was a child, advent calendars didn’t have any chocolate pieces in. They were card, with thinly translucent paper behind doors that sometimes proved difficult to open. You could have winter scenes, with rosy-faced children on sledges or Santa working in his shirtsleeves to create rocking horses, pull-along wooden trains and dolls with improbably wavy hair or, as we used to … Continue reading Advent Calendars: So Much More than Chocolate.
Full Disclosure: Becci Coombes, the author, is a member of The Hygge Nook on Facebook and also follows me on Instagram. I’ve ordered from her shop, http://www.hyggestyle.co.uk before now and I really love the scandi style she has. When she got in touch and offered me a review copy of Craft Your Own Cosy Scandi Christmas, I said yes straight away. Not because it was … Continue reading Book Friday: Craft Your Own Cozy Scandi Christmas by Becci Coombes (Gift ideas, craft projects and recipes for festive hygge)
I am a great fan of homemade items: blankets, pictures, clothes, food, whatever. If you can make it yourself, I love it. I love the skills that are showcased, the thought that goes into the creation and the fact that you get a completely unique product. I also love craft classes, especially if one is a beginner at a craft. There’s something so comforting about … Continue reading The Advantage of Homemade is It Just Has to Suit You. (Advent is Coming)
I have been married 29 years. We celebrated our 29th anniversary on 22nd October this year. I find it amazing that we’ve been married for anything like that long. More amazing, perhaps, is that we spend so long together. Bar a few hours when I teach or visit friends and relatives, we work, live and sleep within 10 m of each other. It’s okay: I’ve … Continue reading Book Friday: One by Jamie Oliver (Simple One Pan Wonders)
When people say that computers don’t have a sense of humour, tell them perhaps they don’t. But they do troll people. Today is a grim, grey, cold day. Windy outside, which adds a chill to my life, and I am huddling over a single candle flame and wondering where in the house is my collection of fingerless gloves. My Cratchit Days are upon me. And … Continue reading 29 Days to Advent…. and I’m getting ready to Celebrate!
Today’s UK news was full of the idea that, come January and February, the UK could have planned blackouts, when electricity supplies are cut to certain areas to preserve the available gas. Understandably, this sounds like a scary prospect until you sit and think about it. I think people who are into hygge are ahead of the curve on being able to handle the blackouts. … Continue reading Electricity Free Evenings? No Problem.
How to Hygge the British Way 